Killer Cuisine

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Darn, he must have relocked it. If you don’t mind waiting one second, I think I saw the custodian down the other hall. I’ll send him right over.”

  Dan debated the situation, torn on helping this woman or heading back to Lauren. The teen was in a room filled with people and this shouldn’t take but a few minutes. “I’ll wait.” The woman hustled away and he examined the hall lined with lockers. A shudder racked his shoulders. God, he hated school. Even the smell made him nauseous.

  He shifted feet impatiently and was about to leave when a short man wearing a gray jumpsuit and Indiana hat pulled low over his eyes lumbered down the hallway. He jangled a set of keys.

  Dan nodded to the man. “How’re you doing?”

  The man grunted and jammed a key in the lock. He shoved the door open and flipped a switch on the wall, illuminating the small space. Stepping back, he allowed Dan to enter.

  Spotting the white rolls on the top shelf, he said over his shoulder, “I see what I need.” He’d just reached for one when a sharp pain exploded in his skull and brightly colored spots swam in his eyes before they rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the cold concrete floor.

  When he woke up, he was in an ambulance speeding to the hospital. His wrist throbbed and his skull felt like he’d head-butted a locomotive…and it won. He happily lapsed back into unconsciousness.

  The next time he woke, it was to the scent of flowers and sunshine and all things beautiful. Was this Heaven? It sure smelled like it. He realized someone was holding his hand. It was too soft and delicate for it to be his warrior brother. With much effort, he forced his lids open. He was in Heaven. Kaitlyn was at his side. The machine monitoring his heart picked up speed.

  She heard the beeps and gasped. “DJ? You’re awake!” She let go of his hand and he wanted to cry out at the loss. He watched as she bolted from his bedside. Was she embarrassed to be seen with him? He’d been pretty mean to her the last time they’d been together. They’d fought over something…his drug-addled brain couldn’t remember what, but knowing him, it had to be stupid. The machine was really clamoring now.

  Kait threw open the door and stuck her head outside. “Logan, he’s awake!” Then she was rushing back to his side and he exhaled. The machine calmed. She grasped his hand again and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. Yep, Heaven.

  “How do you feel? They had to shave some of your hair to check the wound. Your silky locks are a little less silky. Maybe you can try out a Mohawk. That’s about the only style you haven’t rocked yet.” She carefully fluffed the pillow beneath his head “Does your wrist hurt? You have a hairline fracture. They think you fell on it.” When he didn’t answer, she jerked her gaze to him. “Dan? Can you hear me? Oh God, the head wound didn’t affect your memory did it? I bet it did. I haven’t seen the wound, but judging from the bandage it must be bad.”

  Logan burst through the door and heaved out a shuddering sigh. “Thank God.” He grasped Dan’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”

  “We need a doctor. I think he was hit too hard,” Kaitlyn fretted. “He’s either lost his memory or hearing.”

  “No I didn’t.”

  Kaitlyn’s mouth dropped open. “But…I just asked you questions and you didn’t answer.”

  “That’s ‘cause you kept rattling on and on. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.”

  She slammed her hands on her narrow hips. “Well, excuse me—”

  “Children, you can fight later,” Logan chided. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I went a few rounds with a tank and it won. Head hurts.”

  “I’ll get the doctor,” Kaitlyn said, rushing from the room.

  “Do you remember what happened?”

  He tried to nod but the movement made his head scream in protest. “Went to get supplies and then someone conked me on the head.” He tried to sit up. “Lauren?”

  Logan eased him back to the bed. “She’s fine. I’ll tell you all about it later. We got the unsub.”

  “Who was it? God, please don’t tell me it was Mrs. Jones?” He closed his eyes. If he’d allowed the murderer to lure him away, he wouldn’t get over it. He already felt unqualified to be on the same team as his brother and Luke Colton.

  “No, it was Ellen Timms, the receptionist from Matt’s company. Her real name was Natasha Sparks, Jac’s high school friend.”

  Dan wanted to hear all about it, but the edges of his vision were getting fuzzy and the pain in his head was excruciating, borderline debilitating. He wanted to see Kaitlyn one more time before he succumbed to the darkness. He wanted that beautiful face in his mind as he drifted into a state of nothingness.

  Logan noticed. “I’ll tell you all about it later. I want the doctor to check you. They can give you something stronger for the pain.” He leaned down and gave Dan an awkward hug as he tried to avoid the wires and tubes attached to his body. “Love you, bro.”

  “You, too. And sorry.”

  “Nothing to apologize for,” Logan insisted.

  “The doctor will be right here.”

  There she was. Kaitlyn. His Kaitlyn. Sadly, her beautiful image was swimming in wavy lines. He blinked, trying to bring her into focus.

  She brushed hair from his forehead again. “You’re in pain, aren’t you?”

  Little bit. “Nah.” he scoffed.

  “Don’t lie to me, DJ. I can tell.”

  She didn’t know it, but he was an excellent liar. He’d been lying to himself for years, telling himself he didn’t love her. He did. Deeply. He opened his mouth to tell her but the agony was stealing his breath. “Hurts a little.”

  “Go back to sleep so you don’t feel the pain and you can heal.”

  “You’ll be here when I wake up?”

  “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

  When he woke hours later or days, he wasn’t sure, she’d kept her promise. She’d nursed him back to health, shaved his head when the spot where Ellen Timms bashed him looked pretty ridiculous. And stayed by his side, his own personal Florence Nightingale. Then she got a phone call from François and he’d blown up. He’d said some really nasty things and she looked at him like he was a monster. He felt like one. She left and didn’t come back.

  He'd royally screwed that up, but now he had a second chance…or more like twentieth chance. He didn’t know why she kept taking him back, but she did. Doubt crept in that she couldn’t truly love him. He was so insecure about his own worth. His own mom didn’t want him, why would a beautiful woman like Kaitlyn?

  She may be dating Frankie now, but they weren’t married. He wouldn’t give her up without a fight. She was his, had been since first grade. It was time for him to take her back.

  Chapter Twelve

  Dan woke early the next morning ready to hit the road home. Logan, Jade, Isabella and Aunt Trudy were staying another day to visit the world-renowned Indianapolis Children’s Museum. Bella begged him to go but he had to gently decline. It hurt his heart to refuse her anything, but he needed to get back and check on Kaitlyn.

  As soon as he pulled into the driveway, he called Frank Hurley. “Any news on cause of death?”

  “I’m looking at the report as we speak,” the detective said. “Cora Crenshaw was murdered.”

  He grabbed his bag from the back seat and headed inside. Not unexpected. “How?”

  “Poison.”

  Air left Dan’s lungs in a rush and he dropped the bag to the floor. A stab of fear pierced his gut. He prayed it wasn’t anything Kaitlyn had served. “What kind?”

  “Potassium cyanide.”

  “That’s what Logan thought. Mrs. Crenshaw’s last words were that the food tasted bitter. Was the poison in the food?”

  “Interestingly enough, no. They found traces on the fork.”

  “I don’t know a whole lot about it, but isn’t that stuff pretty toxic, easily absorbed through the skin? How did the killer manage to leave it on the utensil without killing his or her self?”

  “Had to know w
hat they were doing. It’s a hard way to poison someone, but highly effective and almost instant. They probably wore gloves. There were no prints other than Crenshaw’s.”

  “So it wasn’t necessarily that she was targeted. I don’t think there was any way for the killer to know who’d use that fork.”

  “My thoughts, too. They were going for a kill, any kill. Making a point would be my guess.”

  “To what end? Disrupt filming of the show?”

  “Cast doubt on one of the competitors,” Hurley suggested. “Hard to guess at this point.”

  “We’re lucky no one else was harmed by the contaminated fork.”

  “No kidding.”

  “How does someone go about picking up potassium cyanide. I wouldn’t think you could run to the drug store and grab some off the shelf.”

  “Hell, with the internet these days, you can pick up just about anything for the right price.”

  “True.”

  “I’m not an expert, but I do know it’s used in photography development and metal work, so jewelry makers might use it. But as I said, I’m not an expert. I’ll have to do more research.”

  “Have you told the crew about this yet?”

  “No, but we have a meeting scheduled in a couple of hours at the cast house.”

  “I’ll be there.” He hung up and padded to the television. He needed to shower and change, but first there was something he needed to do. He glanced down to make sure he wasn’t going to step on Fiji when he remembered that BeBe Davis was watching him while they were in Indy. Grabbing the remote, he powered on the TV and accessed the menu for the DVR. After scrolling to the program, he punched start and sat down to watch.

  Kait looked amazing and so damn beautiful she took his breath away. First were introductions, with a brief bio of each contestant. It showed Kaitlyn cooking at Fresh!, doing yoga, teaching a class. She looked approachable and honest, whereas Joy came across as obnoxious and overbearing—or maybe that was his own bias coming through. Ronald looked like what he was, an out and proud gay man. He wore flamboyant clothes and a huge smile. He’d do well with the audience. Shandee looked like what she was, too: the bombshell reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe as a bakery owner. He didn’t even bother to watch the others. He fast-forwarded to see Kaitlyn again. When a number flashed on the screen, he chided himself for missing the deadline to vote.

  Once the show was over, he hit the option to save and stripped on his way to the shower. He cranked the water to hot. His muscles were a good kind of sore, the kind that meant a really brutal work-out. When he was done, he checked the bruise in the mirror. It was fifty shades of purple, but the pain was gone. His hair was a quick swipe of his fingers. The short style he’d adopted after the encounter with Ellen Timms was easy to manage. Donning clothes, he slid on his Nike’s and headed outside, anxious to get to the house and see Kaitlyn’s smiling face. He might’ve broken a couple of speed limits, but it felt like years instead of days. He’d just stepped inside the entryway when her voice washed over him.

  “DJ.” She threw her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you.” She leaned back but he refused to let her go, locking his arms around her back. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You had enough to concentrate on here.” He lifted a hand to brush a strand of hair from her face and then caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I didn’t want to distract you.”

  “I wanted to be there. Actually, I kinda was…Taylor streamed your runs to me.”

  His brows lifted. “She did?” Huh. He didn’t know that. Ms. Hudson neglected to mention that little tidbit to him last night. He locked her in his embrace again. “Dante killed it.”

  “You were within nano-seconds of his score,” she defended him.

  He smiled, unable to look away. God, he got lost in her indigo eyes. He could see their past and their future in the blue depths. He had no idea how long they stared at each other. He was vaguely aware of activity going on around them. It wasn’t until Mason called his name that he snapped out of the trance.

  “Congrats.”

  He reluctantly broke eye contact. “Thanks.”

  “Kendall’s on her way along with Detective Hurley. I figured you’d want to be in on the meeting.”

  “I do.”

  Kait waited until Mason walked away before she asked, “Do they know the cause of death?”

  Dan grabbed his bag from the floor where he’d dropped it and pulled her down the hall to the room he’d yet to use. He tossed the bag to the bed and turned to face her. “Cora Crenshaw was murdered.”

  Her eyes widened. “Was it me? Did I kill her?”

  He shook his head. “Someone poisoned the fork she used. There were no traces in the food so you’re in the clear.”

  She sighed and stepped into him, resting her head against his chest. “I shouldn’t feel relieved. Cora’s still dead. Why did someone do this?”

  “We won’t know the answer to that until we find the culprit.” He closed his eyes, savoring her touch. She felt so damn good in his arms. “Should we be doing this?”

  She snuggled closer. “Why not?”

  “I heard your boyfriend’s in town.”

  She stiffened. This time when she pulled back, he let her go, even though it damn near killed him. “François is here, yes.”

  He wanted to rail at her, tell her that she was his and they belonged together. Frankie could go straight to hell. But Mason appeared in the door before he could get his rant on.

  “Kendall’s here.”

  He waved his thanks and followed him out the door. He turned to face Kait. “We’ll finish this later.”

  Several crew members were with Kendall when she breezed in the door. She gathered the contestants in the large dining room. “Congratulations. We’ve got the first show under our belts. People picked up the phone to vote, even without all of the judges’ comments on the food. The editors did a fabulous job with the footage, showcasing your individuality and what you bring to the culinary world.”

  “I wasn’t happy with my segment,” Joy spoke up. “I think they’re trying to get me kicked off first. They made me look like a bitch, complaining about the other contestants.”

  “Are you suggesting they doctored the footage?”

  “My comments were taken out of context,” she insisted.

  “Then I suggest you don’t say things that could possibly be misconstrued.”

  “How can ‘Shandee is a cheap, sleazy wannabe with a botched bleach job,’ possibly be misconstrued?” Darrin asked straight-faced, repeating one of Joy’s lines.

  Joy turned bright red, her mouth bobbing like a fish.

  “Anyway,” Kendall said, dispelling any fight before it could start, “We’ll try again tomorrow night. Fresh! will be catering dinner tonight. I have a meeting in a few minutes with the police and if we have any new information that pertains to the show, I’ll brief you before I leave.” She glanced over at him. “Dan, I’d like you and Mason in the meeting with me.”

  “What about me?” Abby asked. “I should be in there, too.”

  “I need you to stay out here and keep an eye on things. Let the catering crew in when they arrive.” Kendall walked out the door with Abby on her heels.

  “Someone else can handle that—Kaitlyn or Donald. I’m part of the staff and I should be in there.”

  “Abby, this isn’t a negotiation. I gave you a task. If you can’t handle it, let me know right now and I’ll relieve you of your duties.”

  Abby slammed her fists on her hips. “Mason did it, didn’t he? What did he tell you?”

  Kendall raised a brow. “Mason hasn’t told me anything.”

  “Oh, well,” she stuttered. “Fine. I’ll stay out here.”

  #

  Kaitlyn watched the group file into the den with Detective Hurley and close the door. She wanted to be in there with them. She wanted to know why someone poisoned Cora Crenshaw. Did it have anything to do with what had happened at Fresh!, whe
n patrons got sick from her cooking? Was someone trying to not only end her shot at the show, but ruin her career? She thought about the narrow miss with the car. They very well may be attempting to end her life.

  She walked to the large windows and watched the other contestants as they cavorted in the pool before dinner. She wanted to be carefree and jump in, but her nerves were on edge. She smiled when Keisei loped down the diving board, bounced a couple of times and then executed a perfect double flip. Ronald and Shandee were clapping. Darrin was up next but his flip ended in a belly flop that looked painful. Joy was sitting in a lounger by herself, obviously being shunned from the other contestants after her nasty comments. She watched them until she heard the main door open.

  Abby led the crew from Fresh! inside, clutching Dion’s arm and whispering to him. Kait felt a jolt of revulsion at her boss. He had to know she was married. It dropped him down a notch in her book.

  She wasn’t surprised when Amy sauntered in behind them barking orders and commands. She was surprised to see Henry. Her sous chef was more than capable of running the kitchen. If by some miracle, Kaitlyn won and was offered a television show, she’d make sure Dion considered Henry for her position.

  Henry spotted her and came rushing over. “Kaitlyn.” He gave her a hug. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.” She glanced to see where Amy was before she spoke. “Who’s running the restaurant?”

  Henry looked away and then back at Kaitlyn before he dropped his gaze to the floor. “Dion hired someone to fill in while you’re away.”

  “You’re kidding. Who did he hire?”

  “Yolanda Bates.”

  “She’s good but not as good as you.”

  “Well, he likes her cooking so he’ll probably keep her on.”

  “Oh, Henry.” She didn’t know what to say. “I should’ve said something to him sooner. I just assumed he’d have you take over while I was gone.”

  “Yeah, I kinda assumed that, too.” He pasted on a bright smile and sniffed. “Oh well. At least I’ll be able to say I learned from the best when you win.”